UN Security Council calls for comprehensive peace strategy in Somalia

[News_Editor]

UN Security Council calls for comprehensive peace strategy in Somalia

2011-06-25 03:59:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations Security Council on Friday called for an inclusive and comprehensive peace strategy to restore order and stability in Somalia.

After this day's meeting, the Security Council remarked that the 2008 agreement signed in neighboring Djibouti remains the basis for resolving conflict in the Horn of Africa country.

Under the Djibouti Peace Agreement, the Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the opposition Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) agreed to end the armed conflict and form an inclusive government to end two decades of factional warfare and instability.

The Council also welcomed the signing of the Kampala accord on June 9 which provided an extension by one year of the terms of the incumbent President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and the Parliament.

In addition, the recently signed deal called for the appointment of a new prime minister; an obligation fulfilled with the naming of Abdiweli Mohamed Ali as PM who is expected to unveil his cabinet shortly.

The Security Council called on both sides for cohesion, unity and focus on the completion of the transitional tasks set out under the Djibouti Agreement and Somalia's Transitional Charter. Somalia has had a transitional government since 2004.

Furthermore, Somalia's Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) was urged to build broad-based representative institutions through an inclusive political process which must include the participation of women in public life.

The conflict in Somalia has caused an estimated 55,000 internally displaced persons this year only. The monthly average has risen to 10,000 refugees from the 7,000 average registered last year.

Also on Fridya, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) voiced its concern at the alarming rise in the number of new refugee arrivals from Somalia into the Dadaab camps in Kenya's northeast region. Over the last two weeks, over 20,000 Somalis have arrived to the three camps.

"The physical condition of these people is a matter of significant concern to us. Many families have walked for days, and are exhausted and desperate for food and water," said UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming.

Furthermore, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that inside Somalia, the number of people in need of emergency humanitarian assistance has risen to 2.5 million, a 25 percent increase in comparison with 2010.

Somalis have been suffering from poverty and violence due to the continuing fighting in the southern and central regions, including the capital city Mogadishu. In consequence, approximately 678,000 Somalis live as refugees in neighboring countries.

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